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UBC Ponderosa Cake (Banana/Chocolate)

I realize there are several great banana cakes posted, but I figure what’s a Mennonite Cookbook without 8 versions of the same recipe? I like to made my own versions by comparing several recipes side by side, which is always a nice challenge. I am not sure where this title came from, but that’s the name it came with when I got it from my friend, Laura M.Ingredients:

35 comments:

Your cake looks wonderful. I aways love a challenge. I researched and UBC Ponderosa Cake may mean University of British Columbia, Ponderosa Center. Perhaps that is where the cake was served and gained it's reputation.

It does mean University of British Columbia - I have two degrees from there and often enjoyed the cake. I usually make it in a 9"x13" pan and put the chocolate chips and cinnamon and sugar in the middle and on top, as they served it at UBC, but the bundt pan looks very pretty too.

I studied forestry at UBC in the 90's and Ponderosa Cake is a standard item on the food services department menu. It was pretty much standard to my diet as well (hee hee). I think the Food Services office was in the Ponderosa Annex at the time, which may be where the name came from.

I managed to find the original recipe before I graduated and have made it pretty regularly over the past 10 years. Sooooo goooood!! I'm glad you are sharing it with the world, because I haven't yet. ;)

I agree with a similar post. I found it extremely heavy. Because of the sour cream, it should also have baking soda in it. I found the same recipe in another source with 2 tsp baking soda and 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (4 medium)

Susan and Anonymous,I'm not sure how to respond about the "heaviness" because I've never had a problem with the recipe. To be honest, I'm not one who measures things too exactly and I have never measured the "cups" of bananas - I just use 3 large 0r 4 med. bananas. (3 cups sounds like a lot, now that I look at it - maybe I should change that) I also round my tsp., using a normal tespoon. I really dont' think the baking soda would lighten it up. It is, after all, supposed to be more like a coffee cake in texture. I hope it works out well for someone out there, because it IS very yummy!

I am going to make this cake tomorrow...I was also looking for the comment that was made about using splenda..I wanted to copy the article...whoever wrote can you send it to me? looks like it was deleted...metoews@shaw.ca

I was looking for Jam recipes, and I will use your freezer jam one THANKS! but was also intrigued by the title of this cake because I currently am studying at UBC and have classes in the Ponderosa building...very funny! Anyways, small world sometimes. Cheers. And thanks for the recipes!

thanks for such a wonderful site ,there are a lots of great recipies that I can't wait to try .My mom used to make ponderosa cake when i was a kid ,but i had forgoten the name for it ,thankyou for giving me back an old favorite : ) , didn't have a bunt cake pan so is used a 9-13 pand and it turned out great .jennifer

All right - there were some of you who commented about the need for baking soda in here. The recipe I've used did not have it, and somehow - because I probably use more baking powder than is called for, it worked for me. However, I just finally found the original recipe written out by a friend, and saw that I had indeed missed the baking soda. It calls for 2 tsp of each( powder and soda) but I still rather use more powder than soda. So sorry for the inconvenience I caused some of you.

A friend made this cake when I lived in British Columbia (she went to UBC and it was served there) and I was elated to find the recipe online. This is my "go to" recipe and I always, always get compliments on it (and people also always ask for the recipe!)

I took my doctorate at UBC, my husband is a prof there, and I've been connected to UBC in one way or another for the last 15 years, and although I've seen Ponderosa cake on offer, I've never ever tasted it. I've always gone for the cinnamon buns instead :-)

I make this with my Grade 10 Foods class. The recipe we use has both b. powder and b. soda in it. It bakes in an 8 x 8 pan and takes 30 minutes. Slightly smaller scaled version of the recipe using only one banana. The kids love it.

In the 70's and 80's, the Ponderosa Building UBC had a lovely cafeteria with big wood tables and big windows looking out at the trees. I think that area of the building has been turned into offices now.